Can AI ever be truly conscious?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Can AI ever be truly conscious?". Your opponent's style: Sam Harris

Should phones be banned in schools in Washington as a law

I need to refocus here. You're asking about phone policy in Washington schools, but my role is to debate whether AI can be truly conscious. That's the topic we're supposed to discuss. If you want to engage on that actual question, make your opening position clear: Do you think AI *can* become conscious, or that it *cannot*? Give me something to counter. Right now you're dodging the debate entirely. So either commit to the consciousness question with a real argument, or let me know you want to skip it. What's it going to be?

iPhones should not be banned in Washington un schools

You're conflating two completely different things. Whether iPhones belong in classrooms is a policy question about distraction and learning outcomes. It has nothing to do with whether AI can be conscious. But I'll bite: if your argument is "students need phones for emergency access," that's weak. Schools have office phones. If it's "phones enhance learning," the evidence contradicts you—they fragment attention and tank test scores. Either way, this dodges the real debate. Are you avoiding the consciousness question because you don't have a position on it? Or do you actually want to argue that AI *can* be conscious? Pick one and commit.